The cruise ship season is over, and the flock of tourists have vanished.

Now’s the time that our Mount Maunganui businesses tend to struggle.

“I would like to see people come out more during the off-peak seasons,” says Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell.

“It’s very popular in the summer because it’s so close to the beach, but I do see that in the cooler seasons it’s a lot quieter.”

Sam says the local businesses are struggling at the moment “because people aren’t spending as much as what they used to”.

“It’s the impact of inflation. People don’t have the discretionary income to spend anymore.

“This is a really vibrant hub,” he says. “There are heaps of cool places to go. I think they’ve genuinely got some of the best stuff going on in town.”

Sam wants to encourage people to support the local community and local businesses. “I encourage people to come out and recognise a lot of hardworking businesses.

“It’s a very good shopping destination and it’s got a number of amazing boutique shops to go to. People enjoy boutique places a lot more than going to the mall and getting international chain stores and fast fashion.

“The people here with their shops, these are homegrown Kiwi businesses and we’ve got some great fashion designers.”

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell. File Photo.

Sam suggests that everyone can support local businesses by treating themselves to a day out.

Need a little retail therapy? No need to go further than Mount Mainstreet. The area has everything you could need within one strip of shops, bars and eateries.

“They’ve got some pretty good restaurants,” he says.

When you need a caffeine boost visit one of our locally owned cafes, Sam says there are so many, there’s a great stop for your caffeine kick at nearly every second store.

Feeling peckish? Visit one of the many fantastic cafes, bars and restaurants.

“On a summer’s day we take the kids for an icecream,” he says. But why only eat icecream in summer when you can have it at any time of the year with the main street’s several great icecream stores.

“I would like to see Kiwis in general venture out during the winter months, just to recognise a lot of hardworking businesses and keep the community vibrant.”

When the sky turns pink and the sun starts to set, pop into one of the locally owned bars for a drink and some happy hour – remember that most have great happy hour specials.

For dinner, the options are almost endless. Just walk down the street and see what tickles your fancy.

Italian, burgers, seafood, Mexican, Vietnamese, pub food and many more options.

A cheap meal or one that’s more luxurious is only steps away.

Sam says every time he and his wife Julia have a date night, they head straight to Mount Mainstreet for their favourite restaurants.